A tree specialist claims mature species in Richmond Park have died or declined in health after being pruned too heavily, and claims his questions on the matter have not been sufficiently answered.

Tom Roser, 39, claimed Royal Parks has carried out a 'ruthless pruning regime' in the South West London park, which it manages, and he fears this has led to trees declining in health and dying prematurely. Royal Parks denies the allegations and claims it's addressed all of his concerns in full.

Mr Roser told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he is concerned Royal Parks is not managing trees in the 2,500-acre park to the best possible standard, and that it has failed to ease concerns he has put forward for many years, which the organisation refutes. As an arborist with nearly 20 years' experience, speaking in a personal capacity, Mr Roser is passionate about preserving trees.

He said: "My first memory is going [to Richmond Park] with my grandparents. They're not with us now and I used to play in there a lot. It's a place really close to my heart and even now I use it like my back garden."

He added: "I just want to make sure that the trees in the park are being treated as you'd expect, being a Royal Park, a National Nature Reserve, so lessons need to be learnt if mistakes have been made and the Royal Parks need to make sure they do indeed treat their trees to the highest possible standard."

Dead oak tree in Richmond Park which Mr Roser believes died after excessive pruning (credit: Tom Roser).

A Royal Parks spokesperson told the LDRS it 'strongly refutes' Mr Roser's allegations. They said the charity considers the health and structure of the tree, its surroundings and visitor numbers before carrying out any works to it, along with completing a risk assessment.

Mr Roser launched a petition and open letter outlining his concerns about the Royal Parks' management of trees in Richmond Park in 2021. He started the campaign after spotting trees being pruned heavily in the park over a number of years, he said, with the works appearing to him to be disproportionate to their condition.

He provided photos of 345 trees that appeared to have been felled or left as high stumps over the previous 10 years – he believed more could have been done to preserve them. He claimed 31 further trees had been pruned excessively and deteriorated or died as a result.

The petition, which gained 352 signatures, called for an independent investigation into the Royal Parks' management of the trees, including whether trees Mr Roser had highlighted were pruned excessively, if this had caused them harm and if there were gentler ways to maintain them. Such an investigation has not been undertaken by any independent parties, and the charity says it follows all industry standards when it comes to tree care.

He asked whether the charity was allowing the trees enough time to recover after pruning and if it was felling trees in decline without monitoring them to see if their health had improved. Mr Roser claims the Royal Parks has not answered the specific questions in his petition, which the charity refutes. "I've contacted them because of my concerns and the easiest way they could allay my concerns is just responding to the questions in the petition," he said.

"It being a National Nature Reserve, an SSSI [site of special scientific interest] and a Special Area of Conservation, you would expect them to provide the best possible standard to their trees."

A dead oak tree in Richmond Park which Mr Roser had raised concerns about (credit: Tom Roser).

Mr Roser claimed more trees have declined in health or died since he launched his campaign due to heavy pruning, including 'irreplaceable' trees up to 400 years old. He urged the Royal Parks to fully respond to his questions as he wants to see the trees provided with the 'best possible care'.

A Royal Parks Spokesperson told the LDRS: "The Royal Parks has answered all of [Mr Roser's] points individually on more than one occasion, responded to a series of his requests made under the Freedom of Information Act at significant expense to The Royal Parks Charity, and has met with Mr Roser to discuss his views. Regrettably we could not agree with his views and he has persisted with his campaign.

"Our management teams are dedicated and qualified professionals with decades of collective experience caring for the trees of Richmond Park. The Royal Parks is a member of both the Arboricultural Association and the London Tree Officers Association.

"Our actions take into account the full health and structure of the tree and its surroundings, increasing visitor numbers and a risk management assessment. Decisions are also taken in the context of the increasing pressures from tree pests and diseases and the emerging impacts of more extreme and increasingly unpredictable climate conditions.

"In addition, the team regularly use independent consultants and specialists to provide independent advice and verify decisions. We abide by all the current British Standards for tree and specialist veteran tree management methodologies."

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